Congrats on the legal award! Now what?
As an attorney at a solo or small law firm, you work really hard. You care about your clients and are invested in the outcomes of their cases. It’s nice to be noticed for that dedication and the results your experience, knowledge, and time help drive.
When a third party recognizes you and your law firm, it’s important to take time to pause and acknowledge the hard work you do every day to help legal consumers in need. But what happens after you win an award? Aside from feeling honored, are there other benefits?
Third-party validations can also be highly effective and persuasive branding and marketing tools. The key is knowing how to pull the levers and effectively let potential clients know about your special accomplishments.
Keep reading to learn more about how to promote a legal award.
What to say when promoting a legal award
Winning an award is a big deal and worth celebrating. As a busy attorney, marketing and public relations likely aren’t your strong suits, so it can be hard to know what to do next. What do you say and how do you say it without sounding disingenuous or overly boastful?
Let the award or special recognition speak for itself. Third-party organizations almost always provide a clear outline of “why this award matters” on their websites. For example, maybe only 5% of attorneys are recognized for achieving the special designation, or attorneys who are selected must meet certain criterion to even be considered. When crafting your own content announcing your win, use snippets like these that speak directly to why the award matters.
In addition to weaving in information about why the award matters, it’s important to provide context that’s specific to you and your story. Include information about your career journey as an attorney, as well as personal details about your life. Tell people where you went to law school and how long you’ve been practicing. Then take another pass to humanize your story by including details about why you decided to practice law, what you’ve learned along the way, and even noteworthy personal struggles you encountered and overcame.
Get validated: How awards and recognitions give you a marketing edge
Whatever the nature of your practice, third-party validations offer an unparalleled opportunity to differentiate your firm in a competitive legal marketplace. Learn four ways you can make the most of your accolades.
Where to promote a legal award
Much like positive online reviews, third-party validations like awards can play an important role in winning over prospective clients. But in order to do so, you need to use several different marketing channels.
Logos or badges on your website
Some third-party organizations provide award winners with special logos or badges to display on their law firm’s website. Logos and badges provide a strong visual way to quickly communicate your honor to legal consumers. For example, lawyers who have the distinction of being a Super Lawyers selectee can quickly announce this great honor by including a notable badge on their website.
Blog about your award
Write a blog post about your award win and include information about why it matters and how you did it. Feel free to get creative with the format of this blog. Maybe use a Q&A format and have another lawyer at your firm interview you or write a personal story about why the award means a lot to you – and why it should matter to prospective clients, too.
Write a press release
Press releases can be a great way to spread news of your achievement far and wide. You can find templates online that provide basic press release outlines to help you write and organize your information. You can also use a press release service to distribute your press release to local newspapers, trade publications, and other interested parties.
Include a mention in client emails or newsletters
Do you regularly communicate with clients about important firm news via email or a client newsletter? If so, including a blurb about your recent award that links back to your blog on the topic is an excellent way to get the word out about your great accomplishment.
Write social media posts
Take snippets from your blog or press release and create social media posts for Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and any other social platforms your law firm uses. Keep the post copy short and engaging, include a photo if you can, and link back to your website.
Showcase your award-winning law firm today
Third-party validations like awards can help set you and your law firm apart from competitors — and now it’s time to put all of your hard work to work for you. Be sure to use your marketing channels to promote your legal award win and do so in a way that helps convince prospective clients why it matters.
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